Be Carriers… of His Presence.

My last few weeks of meditation was mostly about the fear of God… “Choose your fear”; it is a topic that comes up quite often in my devoted time, do we really and deeply understand what this is all about? It’s not a trembling fear, but rather a fear of reverence and awe found in knowing Who we serve. It’s a choice; do you choose your fear in awe of God with all His majesty, or do you have fear in the lies the enemy is trying you to believe, filled with anxiety and doubt?

In this time, I was led to study and look at times God has caused people to drop dead in their stance, the cause and effect of these events; there is quite a few, and in comparison, the men that was allowed to enter heaven without physically dying.
One such an event was the death of Uzza, a man that assisted King David to transport the Ark of the Lord back to Jerusalem. The newly built cart stumbled over a bump and the Ark almost fell, Uzza reacted to avoid the Ark from falling but dropped dead when he touched it. (1 Samuel 6 & 1 Chronicles 13-16)

The Ark is a holy chest, that represents God’s presence… it was placed in the holy of holies in the tabernacle, behind the veil, after the altar of sacrifice… It took atonement and preparation to get close to it. It was not something to be taken lightly. 

Some scriptures that stood out in these few chapters… David consulted with the elders and leaders to collect the Ark because they have not inquired God in the presence of the Ark since the time of King Saul. It can be concluded that it was quite a long time since their consultation with God, because during this time David was crowned king, he expanded his city with buildings, he started gathering the people of Israel and built an army of mighty men, this could not have happened in a short period of time.
David then consulted with the elders to bring the Ark back, he did not consult or inquired God, which make me believe he approached this task in his own accord, with a lack of understanding in the process (1 Chronicles 15:11-14). There was quite a detailed process in regard to the movement of the Ark, on the first attempt none of the processes were followed and it cost Uzza’s life. The Fear of the Lord came upon David and he didn’t want to have the Ark of the Lord close to him; the Ark was left at Obededom’s house for 3 months, God has blessed his household beyond measure in this short period of time.
Since this, David enquired God twice in regard to battles he wanted to attempt, God responded, gave His recommendations and His blessing, David defeated his enemies on both occasions.
Short after this David prepared a tent for the Ark… What happened in this time? From fear of the Ark to building a tent for the Ark. David must have had an encounter, a revelation, because the second time around he was prepared and did it according to the book. (Numbers 3:30-32; Numbers 4:2-20)

The Ark had poles built into it for the purpose of it being carried. It had to be CARRIED by Levitical Priests… and was not to be pushed around on a cart, neither by anyone not approved by God. The Levitical tribe had to consecrate and prepare themselves for the movement of the Ark. A full praise and worship team were assembled to accompany the convoy, giving offerings and sacrifices on their way.

The next part, for me, is almost more beautiful than the movement itself (1 Samuel 7 & 1 Chronicles 17) … God spoke to David, after David felt the urge to build a house of cedar for the Ark of the Lord; in a time, David had complete peace and rest, experiencing God’s presence. Going from fear of trembling to awe of God’s presence… from running from God’s presence due to fear, to the desire to house God’s presence, because he experienced the peace found in God’s presence.
God’s words to David, through Prophet Nathan “I (The Ark, ie God’s presence) have not had a house of cedar since I have moved Israel from Egypt, I have been moved around, from tent to tent, as and when Israel was moved around. I have moved you (David) from following sheep to being a prince and a leader to My people. I will build you a house and establish you, but you (David) will not build me a house, your offspring will and I will establish him forever.”

Captioning and translating the above in plain and simple English;
God’s presence is not something to be taken lightly.
It need to be carried and not pushed around.
It need be carried by devoted and consecrated people.
God’s presence needs a permanent residence, not being moved around from tent to tent, however, at the right time, by the rightful (consecrated) offspring and heirs of His kingdom… Remember time does not have any impact on God, He is the creator of time, standing outside of it, God does not understand the word “rush” and will not have His hand being rushed at the desire of our pleasures, even if our intentions are to bring Him glory.

In the above sequence of events, there were good intentions, but it was not blessed by God (the first attempt to move the Ark back to God’s people, Uzza’s attempt to stop the Ark from falling and David’s desire to build God a permanent residence), and it did not prevail according to men’s desire. On all 3 occasions God delayed the realization and manifestation of it, until the consecrated people or person were ready to do so, according to His will.

Jesus provided perfect and complete atonement for our sin, making us heirs of the Kingdom, allowing us to enter the holy of holies, beyond the veil, after the alter of sacrifice.

We are treading in God’s creation, this is His place; His presence is evident all around us… we have a choice to walk in it or walk with it.
Do we seek His presence, to find it and move into it when we need rest and peace, or do we choose to carry it, which comes with the authority of it in obedience?
God’s presence is a place of being, not a place of experience. God demands a permanent residence in your being, for you to be a carrier of His presence and not a visitation when you find time to do so.

Being carriers of God’s presence takes us to another level… a level of “Be carriers (Part 2)… of His character.”